Charles III in his epistolaries: an intimacy without Enlightenment
Cayetano Mas Galvañ and Irene Andreu Candela
Department of Medieval History, Modern History and Historiographical Sciences and Techniques
University of Alicante
ORCID (Mas Galvañ): 0000-0002-6991-1692
ORCID (Irene Andreu Candela): 0000-0001-7932-5710
Published: 17/12/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31338/ahi.2025.4.6
ABSTRACT: This work is based on the letters sent between 1759 and 1767 by Charles III, King of Spain, to three Italian correspondents: in Parma, his brother, Duke Philip; in Naples, the Secretary of State Bernardo Tanucci; and the tutor of Charles’s children and president of the Regency Council, Domenico Cattaneo, Prince of San Nicandro. After analyzing various topics covered in the nearly 1,000 preserved letters (religious matters, hunting practices, cultural activities, scientific attitudes, archaeology and the visual arts, and the education of the King´s son, Ferdinand IV), we can confirm the scant interest shown by Charles III in his personal life into the culture of the Enlightenment. Thus, the image presented in this correspondence is, above all, that of an absolutist monarch who saw cultural initiatives and activities as a means to reinforce the image and prestige of his power.
KEYWORDS: Charles III of Spain, Ferdinand IV of Naples, epistolary correspondence, 18th century, Enlightenment.
